Three dates in the province of Alessandria for the Jelin opera: in Valenza, Casale and Tortona

“Jelin”, the opera by the Alessandrian composer Aldo Brizzi, is back in the provinces, author (with the collaboration of Bruno Masi) also of the libretto for which he was inspired by the Gelindo of the Capuchin friars of Alessandria, also loved so much by Umberto Eco. However, changing the names of the characters, thinking of an international audience, and inserting a parallel story, that of Sara, the traveling girl.

A story of men who act against the background of the events of the year zero, transported into a more current reality – thus Brizzi summarizes this work, which he dreamed of creating since he was a very young spectator at the San Francesco theater in Alessandria -. A mix of comic and popular show with a background that involves the world of spirituality and touches the emotional chords of children and adults“.

There are three dates for the new staging: 14 December at the Teatro Sociale in Valenza, 17 at the Municipale di Casale, 20 at the Civico di Tortona. The absolute premiere of the show was in September last year in the capital, at the Teatro Alessandrino in Alessandria, filmed by the cameras of France 4, which then broadcast “Jelin” in prime time on December 25, with repeats in January and July (sign of a good response in terms of share), as well as streaming on its website.

This year the Nob-Nùcleo de Opera di Bahia joined the Francesca Tamagno Opera Company of Turin in the production (based in Salvador, Brazil), of which Brizzi is artistic director.

There is no shortage of novelties in this story inspired by a Franco-Piedmontese mystery that revolves around the shepherd who first came to adore Jesus.

The main performers remain 15, with reconfirmation for some members of the last cast: from bass Sergei Morozov in the double role of Giuseppe and Manè (the equivalent of Mafé in the friars’ Divota Cumedia) to sopranos Luciana Pansa (Sara) and Silvia Lee (Nomine, son of Jelin) to baritone Luigi Pisapia (Jefferson/Medoro ).

However, the costumes have been renewedpartly packed in Bahia specifically for the four Brazilian dates of the show, scheduled for February. The scenes also change: no longer the architectures of light conceived according to a style that recalls the Japanese theater, but real objects such as benches, tables, a cradle, the wheelbarrow that carries Mané to the place where he intends to defend the Child from the Roman soldiers. The Bartolomeo Bruni orchestra of Cuneo, with about forty musicians, will be directly on stage with the Tamagno choristersfor a scenic rendering of sure impact.

And the protagonist Jelin comes from Brazil: the baritone Carlos Morais he is a former volleyball player, 35 years old, a marcantonio of one meter and 94 in height. “It was Papagheno in the Magic Flute that we staged in the summer in Bahia. And I like to observe how Mozart’s work shares certain surreal passages with Jelin, parts that fascinate even children and a fund linked to the history of the moment – observes Brizzi -. Morais was also in the Opera dos Terreiros and in my version of Treemonisha, also produced by the Nob. On stage he is one who stands out and manages to reconcile both the somewhat rough aspect and the inner nobility of the character“.

He is not the only interpreter who comes from the South American country: with him is also the tenor Carlos Eduardo Santoswith whom Brizzi has been working continuously since 2016. This year he is a finalist in the Callas competition, he was in the cast of a recent “Gianni Schicchi” in São Paulo and in his carnet there are already important writings for 2023. “He has an innate stage ability – says Brizzi -, will be an extraordinary Maicon, the equivalent of the boy Tirsi“.

The third Brazilian is Josehr Santos, natural bass with great vocal freshness: he will be one of the Magi. He comes from popular singing, he started studying opera late but he adapted very well. On Friday 2 December in Paris, with performances on 3 and 4, Josehr Santos will interpret the god Krishna and the story of his love for Radha in “Amor Azul”, the new work signed by Brizzi together with Gilberto Gil, true legend of Brazilian music with its 11 gold records and 5 platinum: in the large auditorium of Radio France (already sold out) a debut in grand style is expected for “Amor Azul”, costing over four years of work: “Featuring 7 lead singers, dancers and percussionists, choir and an 80-piece symphony orchestra – explains Brizzi -. The work that we are presenting in Paris in the form of a concert is inspired by the greatest classic of Indian mystical-erotic literature, the Gitagovinda, and lasts almost three hours. The public will find the DNA of the Brazilian popular song, the most chic, from bossa nova to certain things from Tropicàlia“. In addition to the two Santos, the cast of “Amor Azul” also includes Graça Reis (who plays an intense Maria in Jelin) and Luciana Pansa.

The three dates of “Jelin” are included in the Circuito Lirico Piemontese, promoted by the Tamagno Opera Company chaired by Angelica Frassetto with the artistic direction of the young Turinese Giuseppe Raimondo. The program includes a mix of classical and contemporary repertoire: in October there have already been stagings in Casale Monferrato, Vercelli and Savigliano. “The target Raymond says is to bring the opera back to the billboards of Piedmontese theaters on a permanent basis: we are a point of reference in the production of opera performances on the national territory, with 30 years of activity in the diffusion of this musical genre for a popular audience“.

The Jelin project is realized thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Piedmont Region and the Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria Foundation, already decisive for last year’s first edition.

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Dates:

Wednesday 14th December at the Teatro Sociale in Valenza (ticket info 0131-920154, 324-0838829)

Saturday 17th December at the Casale Municipal Theater (ticket info 0142-444314, also on www.vivaticket.com)

Tuesday 20th December at the Civic Theater of Tortona (ticket info 0131-864488)

Contacts: Opera Company Francesco Tamagno, www.liricatamagno.it, liricatamagno.to@gmail.com, tel. 389-0606202

Three dates in the province of Alessandria for the Jelin opera: in Valenza, Casale and Tortona